Doing an internship comes with a lot of responsibility. A company welcomes you into their team and gives you the experience of putting your skills into practice and perhaps even helping you figure out what you like doing most. It gives you the opportunity to learn new things from people that have been in the business for some time, but also give them a fresh view from someone who’s just getting started. However, finding such an internship suiting your skills and wishes is not always as easy as it seems.

Finding the right company

In my ideal internship I would be able to learn new techniques and focus on the things I like most: editing videos & animations as well as DTP-work. Additionally, I wanted to work in a relatively small team, because it’s easier to connect with your colleagues. This helps in the learning process, I feel, because you’re more involved in everyone’s projects. Finding such a place close to my home would make it perfect.

When I first came across the Happy Folk website and looked at the work, I was instantly intrigued. They offered exactly what I was looking for and they seemed fun yet professional! They were very welcoming from the first time we had a chat and seemed just as excited about this internship as I was. It was lovely to see how impressed they were with my skills, as I was just 19 years old.

Getting started

From the very first day I was involved in a lot of projects that fit my skillset and my new colleagues taught me lots of tricks for delivering work faster and better. I worked together with Giorgia (video & animation) on my first video project and went out to film in The Hague a few weeks later. It was genuinely interesting to experience both pre- and post-production. It really shows how much work goes into the making of a video, which you sometimes forget when you’re watching one.

During our first chat, Mark (art direction) saw the potential of DTP and design work for me as well, so that’s why in the fifth week of my internship I got my first big DTP project with the guidance of Lisan (concept & design) and Naz (design & illustration). It took a few weeks to complete, with several feedback rounds from the client, but in the end, everyone was happy with the results, which is obviously the most important part.

Professional & personal growth

Throughout my internship I learned many new techniques and shortcuts, which really helped improve my work. There’s still enough space to grow work-wise, especially with regard to feeling confident enough to leave my comfort-zone and try new things every now and then instead of playing it safe.

Not only did I focus on improving my work, I also wanted to improve myself. Although I’m quite an introverted person and like doing my own thing, the ambience at Happy Folk helped me open up. Having small talk and being encouraged to ask questions can really make a difference!

It’s interesting to see how different the feedback given by teachers is compared to feedback given by colleagues, which is another important aspect in my learning process. What I learnt in school is just a tiny part of what my actual career will be like, and the only way to really learn is by putting it into practice, not just another school assignment, because I wonder what a grade is really based on.

To sum it all up

I feel I’ve become more social and am more confident about having my own opinion and sharing it with others. Though there are still some improvements to be made, I feel extremely happy about my experience so far, and after a 22-week internship here at Happy Folk, they asked me to stay, to which I happily said yes. I’m now a Media Design Trainee, continuing to learn loads and improve myself, surrounded by a lovely team.